Matron Mills and the Pregnant Inmate
by JMolover13
Summary: Regina is the warden of the Storybrooke Men's and Women's correctional facility... the last thin she expected was for a heavily pregnant Emma Swan to come into her halls... Swan Queen. Original Tumblr Prompt. AU for sure.
1. Chapter 1

Emma Swan bit her lip nervously as she looked out the window at the endless sea of forest. Normally, she would be planning an escape route… Now, she was just hoping that her son would get put into a good home… that he wouldn't be rejected because his mother went to prison.

She pulled the chains to the side of her big, pregnant belly, and did her best to sooth him… she knew he felt her stress, just like she felt his hiccups… he'd been getting them a lot lately. She hoped that there wouldn't be a problem with this new place… she hoped that they would at least let her hold him.

She let one tear fall at the prospect of not being able to ever see him once he was out. That's all she could allow… she would completely break if she let anything else leak out. She took a large breath as she felt the bus pull to a stop.

A blonde woman came aboard, "Come on, girl." She said in a no-nonsense way.

Emma took a minute to breath and finally heaved herself up.

Immediately the woman's eyes fell on her, "Good Lord…" she muttered, "…How long?"

Emma looked up at her worriedly, "Uh… I'm due in a month." She said as she walked forward, "Am I going to get to see him?" She bit her lip.

The officer looked at her and blankly said, "I'm not the judge of that." She pulled the young prisoner down the rest of the isle and out of the bus, "Come along, girl… The matron needs to know about you." She said.

"Matron?"

"Regina Mills." The officer nodded, "If you think you've had hardasses before.." She laughed, "You haven't met Regina Mills… But… there are worse, I suppose."

This only made Emma even more nervous and stressed… and her baby's hiccups worse.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina was sitting at her desk chair, feet up. She had just had to deal with that god-awful Mary Margaret and her damn bluebird birdhouse. If she had to deal with one more thing that day, she'd walk the halls just to piss, anger and scare her inmates.

Just as she rubbed the headache from her temples, she was startled into annoyance as the door burst open. And she was even angrier when Sidney wouldn't let her speak first, "Matron Mills… there's something you need to see… Someone rather… The incoming inmate, Emma Swan. She's here…"

"And?"

"You just have to see it." He gestured for her to follow.

Regina's jaw was set to the side in anger, but with a huff, she got up and followed the man out of her office and down the stairs to the main foyer of the sad building.

She saw Milli standing with the girl, one hand on her arm loosely. The girl wasn't going to make a run for it… and Regina could clearly see why.

She ran her eyes from the girl's belly to her face… she was beautiful and quite literally glowing and it wasn't the sun coming into the building from behind her. She rubbed her big stomach softly, and looked down, not having seen her yet. She would never tell of the secret want she'd been having for a child. She'd never let anyone know her jealousy of this little girl… But this little girl was not a little girl… she was quite the young woman, that much was obvious…. And she damn well couldn't help the pull she felt towards her… the need to help her, to take care of her. She'd made up her mind to do that before she'd even been visible to the blonde women.

"Ah, Matron Mills…" Milli said.

"Milli." She nodded, "Um, thank you both… I'll take her from here, alright?"

Both Sidney and Milli looked at each other then nodded.

"Okay, Matron."

"Of course."

"Oh, Milli… take these ridiculous chains off her."

Milli gave pause, "You know that she is a prisoner…?"

"Yes, officer, I am quite aware of that… just as I can see she is irritably pregnant and probably want a little more comfort. So if you please." She gestured to the young woman's ankles and wrists.

Milli nodded as she knelt down and undid her cuffs.

"Now, Swan, was it?" Regina looked at her.

"Yes, Emma." She nodded.

"Emma, this way." She guided the woman back to her incredible comfortable office.

She sat Emma on her large couch and went to her drink cart, pouring them both some of her cider… minus the alcohol of course. She sat down next to her and stared at her belly… and she watched as Emma seemed to sooth her belly.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, he just… has the hiccups…" She explained.

"The hiccups, really?"

Emma nodded, "He's been getting them a lot recently… ever since I've been…" she looked down.

"Incarcerated…"

"Yeah…"

"Tell me, Miss Swan… why did you destroy that man's car… parked in his garage… while his wife was home…?"

Emma looked into her glass then swirled it, pretending, wishing it were something stronger, "He was the rat bastard that knocked me up and didn't even bother to call after he shooed me out of his home the morning after we slept together, let alone tell me that his wife was the doctor and that's why he lived so nice… He didn't even care when I told him he was going to be a father…" She looked at the Matron, "I was mad… and hormonal thanks to him… and had I been thinking clearly, I wouldn't have done it… but I pissed as hellfire because the rat bastard just didn't even fucking care about Henry—"

"Henry?" Regina looked at her with surprise. "That… that was my father's name… it's what I always pictured myself naming my first son…"

Emma smiled, "Oh yeah?" She asked, "That's what I want them to name him… I've always felt strongly toward the name… I don't know why…"

"Them?"

"The parents… whoever adopts him… I his name to be Henry… and I'd really like an open adoption… however, a lot of people don't want to adopt a newborn that's been in the stomach of an inmate…" She looked down, "I don't want him to grow up like I did…" She scratched her eyebrow, then looked up at the Matron, "So… shouldn't I be put in a cell… or something?"

"Do you really want that?"

"No… but… I… I'd like to serve my seven months and get out…"

"You will… but you don't have to be in your cell for that… this is the most comfortable room on this campus… I can guarantee you that."

"Why would you want me to…?" She trailed off and looked at her.

Regina said nothing. She only turned away and went to her desk, "Relax… watch some television," She picked up a remote that moved doors on the shelving unit to reveal a 72-inch flat screen right in front of the couch, "Take a nap… let me know when you're hungry… and give me a list of foods you can and cannot have with Henry…"

Emma stared up at the Matron… she had to be some sort of angel… and it wasn't just the glow of the light coming through the window behind her… she was truly angelic… Though, she knew from the way that Milli had talked before that there had to be something up her sleeve… but she could never be sure.

She wrote everything down that she couldn't eat with Henry and did let her know when she was hungry… sooner rather than later, Sidney… the guy that seemed to be the Matron's pet came in with a food cart. He did a quadruple take as he saw her on the couch then let the Matron know their lunch was here.

Regina got up and sat next to Emma. They ate in silence and the brunette eventually felt Emma's head on her shoulder before she shifted and fell into her lap. Regina swallowed in nervousness as she stroked the girls hair before she fell gracefully into the roll of comforter and relaxed herself.

About an hour later, Emma woke up with a start, "Oh I'm sorry… I always get tired after I eat…" She gulped as she stared into the woman's eyes.

This is when they started talking… Both of them figured that they were never going to see each other again after she was out, so why not share their souls with one another…?

And then it came time for lights out… this was when the Matron finally escorted her to her cell. She told her that she wouldn't do it if she didn't absolutely have to. Emma nodded and started to walk in before Regina grabbed her hand and told her that she would be back in the morning to make her stay as peaceful as possible. Emma could only grin her thanks as she squeezed the woman's hand and walked into the cell… thankfully there wasn't a cellmate that she had to worry about… just girls in the next cell over and across… the cell was also at the end of the hall, so she didn't have to make a trip to the middle and pass by all the other women on the block.

She felt eyes on her and looked across the way. "You and the Matron seem very… friendly…"

"She's been very nice… It's just because…" She gestured to her stomach.

"Pssst! Mary!" She heard come from the cell next to her, "What is she?"

"She's pregnant, Ruby… about to pop too…"

"And the Matron was nice because of that? Man when Ashley was knocked up she didn't give a rat's ass!"

"That's because she got pregnant in an attempt to get out of here…" Mary Margaret looked over to Ruby.

"I heard that!" Ashley called from down the hall.

"Did you get pregnant for any other reason?"

"Yeah! Love!"

"Yeah, she would _love_ to get out of here." Ruby laughed.

"Shut up!" Ashley yelled once more.

"Oh come on, Ash… you know we're just teasing…" Ruby called back.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Hey new girl? What's it like?" Ruby turned back to Emma.

"It?"

"The cave… I hear she's got booze and a TV… and she gets five-star… and there's a couch… and that the sex is amazing…"

"The what now?"

"Oh, so she didn't pick you to fuck, I see…" Ruby grinned.

Even though Emma couldn't see her, she could feel the playful woman grin, "Uhh… no… she was just… being nice."

"That woman is _not_ nice…" Mary Margaret said.

"Just because she took down your birdhouse doesn't mean she's horrible…"

"She wants something from you new girl… look out." The pixie-cut woman crossed her arms.

"Of course… look out, but let her pamper you along the way…" Ruby said from beside her.

"Do I hear talking in here?" Gold, the night guard asked as he walked down the hall.

Silence.

"Belle…" He whispered as quietly as possible.

"Gold." There was a female whisper.

Then after a few smacks of lips, a cell opening and two pairs of feet walking out.

"That was Gold…" Ruby said before anyone else could explain to the new girl.

"He's in love with Belle down there… and she loves him too." Mary Margaret replied, "It's actually quite the touching story… she's the reason he started working here… She was arrested for a crime she didn't commit and he came to be with her…"

"Yeah… Mary Margaret's and Ashley's story have been told once or twice… they're both Bonnie and Clydes, but with a bit of Robin Hood sewn in… they stole to give back." Ruby said before adding, "Oh… both of their Clydes are over in the men's cell.. so they get to see each other everyday… Really the Matron is quite lenient with the prisoners… she almost let's us roam about like we're in a city… unless something happens… then she buckles down for a while, but it lets up… It's really nice when you're supposed to be here a while…"

"And why are you here?" Emma asked as she poked her head out from her cell to try to get a glimpse of her neighbor.

Ruby didn't answer.

"She killed her boyfriend…"

"Mary!" Ashley yelled from two cells down.

"Well! She did!" Mary Margaret turned to Emma, "She'd been having blackouts… had gone to the doctor… the doctor said not to worry… he was wrong… she didn't mean to… She loved him… they were going to get married…" Mary Margaret paused, "She actually drove herself here and asked to be locked up because when she came to all she was the blood on her hands…"

Emma didn't know what to say, "I'm sorry you killed your boyfriend…"

Ruby didn't say anything about it, she changed the subject, "What'd you do?"

"I destroyed the man that donated his sperm to my vagina's car… totaled it actually… with a baseball bat…" Mary Margaret's eyebrows shot up, "Yeah well… he told me he was a surgeon and I believed him… His wife is the surgeon… he's the lazy ass that quit his job and lives off wifey's money while all she does is work both her and his ass off…"

"Damn… so what happened when you told him you were preggers?" Ruby finally stuck her head out.

"He laughed and said good luck before he walked away… So… I…"

"Totaled his car…" Mary Margaret said with approval.

A few minutes later, Gold and Belle came back and everyone went silent. Emma quickly fell asleep for the second time that day.

TBC?


	2. Chapter 2

Regina came into the cellblock the next morning very, very early. She glared over to Mary Margaret Blanchard's cell making sure that she was still asleep before she opened Emma's cell as quietly as possible. She knelt down and took in the young beauty's face. She almost hummed her awe, but instead she let her hand reach through her hair and stroke her blonde locks a few times before coming to rest on her shoulder and shaking lightly.

Emma jumped, prepared to scream or kick or punch or wail or… something, but when she saw those big chocolate cow eyes she smiled and rested her head back into her pillow and whispered, "G'morning."

"Good morning, Miss Swan." She whispered back and smiled apologetically, knowing that she startled the pregnant woman. She didn't speak again, but she did offer her hand to the younger woman.

Emma smiled and took it, letting herself be pulled to stand before, still holding hands, being led back to Regina's office.

As soon as the door clicked behind them, Mary Margaret Blanchard and Ruby were both up, faces pressed between metal bars.

"Oh my God did you see it?" Ruby asked in hope.

"Yes! They were holding hands!"

"WHAT!?" Ruby was a little too excited

"SHHHHHHH!" and "Shut up!" was heard from the other women of the block.

"You shut up!" Ruby rolled her eyes and looked back over to the black haired woman, "What exactly did they say? I couldn't hear anything."

"I don't know… but there is definitely something brewing at Storybrooke Penitentiary…"

Regina led Emma into a room that she hadn't shown her the night before, "This is my private bathroom."

Emma looked around amazed, "It's got a shower… and a tub." She slumped forward, "Oh, a tub with salts and soaps and bubble and flower petals… that's nice."

"That's actually drawn for you… I wasn't bragging." Regina smirked behind the blonde.

Emma turned around with a shocked expression, "For me?"

"You deserve it, you haven't had a proper bath in God knows…" She pointed to the counter, "There are morning essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, hair brush, and razor, but I have to be in here for all of that… County rules… it prevents shivs, not that I believe you will make one, or need to make one, but…"

Emma smiled, "Alright, I'll let you know when I want to shave my legs… We can even keep the door open, talk a bit? That way you're doing your job." She looked at the brunette.

Regina nodded, "I jut have a quick phone call to make and then I will sit just outside the doorway."

After only a few words exchanged between them, Emma called, "Okay, I'm ready for the razor."

Regina didn't look in her direction harldy at all except to give Emma what she needed. She sat on the lid of the toilet and wouldn't look her way.

Emma bit her lip. She was curious why she wasn't looking, but didn't comment. Instead she tried to get the woman to talk, "So… there are rumors about you, you know…"

"There are rumors of everyone, I'm sure." Regina said as she studied her hands.

"There are sexual rumors about everyone and the fact that they pick prisoners to bone until no longer needed or wanted?"

This caused Regina to look up at her. Emma was grinning a wide grin, finally getting a reaction from her, "I never did any such thing…"

Emma gave her a look, "Really? Because they asked me before they realized I was pregnant if I was your new chippie…"

"They did not!"

"Okay, they didn't use the word, 'chippie'…" Emma looked into those brown eyes, "Everyone needs to get some sometimes… I'm not judging you, just making conversation."

"I did not use him for sex. He… wooed me…" She looked off to the side, "Until I realized he was using me for sex because he and his 'girlfriend' were having a fight… then I started using him…" she shrugged.

Emma nodded, "Good for you."

"You're not going to call me a liar? I'm sure most everyone else would."

"Nah, I have like this superpower… I, when I really, really want to know, can tell when people are lying…"

"Why couldn't you tell eight months ago?" Regina raised a harsh brow.

"Okay," Emma laughed lightly, "That was well deserved, but mean…" She looked down at her leg and ran the razor across from it, "I didn't want to tell then… I wanted the one night stand as much as he did…"

"Why one night?"

"Because I don't like to use men for longer…" She admitted without realizing until it was too late, "Uh-oh, secret…" She looked apologetically over to Regina as she covered her mouth.

"So you like to use _women_ for longer?" Regina gave her a knowing smile.

"Have you ever been with a woman?" Emma asked a bit of her temper flaring.

"Yes."

"Because if you have then you—what?" She looked to Regina with wide eyes.

"Yes." Regina said again, smirk well placed on her mouth.

"Good… Then… then you know…" Emma continued with her leg then switched. It was silent for a few minutes before Emma looked over to the brunette who was again, avoiding her gaze and studying her hands, "Turn around." She said.

"What?"

"I'm gonna get out and you are obviously very shy so turn around so that you don't see anything." Emma moved and heaved herself up as Regina turned to the side on the lid then turned her head fully, resting her elbow on the tank of the toilet.

Emma dried off and found clean underwear to the side of the rest of the products on the counter, "Oh! Is this for me?"

"Is what for you?"

"This underwear?"

"Well… I don't exactly keep mine lying around and I don't exactly wear boyshorts."

The blonde smirked, "I'll bet you don't." She mumbled as she kept the extra-large towel around her and looked at all of the other goodies she was getting to use thanks to the Matron. She glanced in the mirror and found playfully glaring eyes turned toward her.

"I told Milli to get more for you and that is what she came back with after checking through your things…"

"Well… thank you for getting me clean, new stuff… It means a lot." She smiled her thanks then said, "Turn back around." Regina did, knowing that the blonde wasn't going to wait to explain herself this time and Emma put on the new underwear before putting back on the orange jumpsuit.

"Are you hungry?" Regina asked as they walked back into the main office.

"Yeah…" Emma nodded as if just realizing her hunger.

Regina smiled and offered Emma her hand for the second time that day, "Let's go for a walk…?"

Emma smiled and took her hand, "Alright." She smirked as they made their way outside.

As they made their way to the bottom floor and throughout a maze of a hall they came to an exit, "Now… I must warn you… no one has ever come out here during my reign except for me. You are going to be the only one that has come out here with me… except for the chef when I eat." She said as a side note.

"Oh, so I'm special, eh?" Emma smirked and giggled as she saw Regina turn red.

"What I'm trying to say is that if you tell the other prisoners that you were in my garden, they will ask question after question… It's like the promise land or Eden to them…"

"Oh, that's…" She tried to peer through the window, "I'm too interested now."

Regina smiled at the blonde who caught her eyes a moment before she opened the door.

"Oh wow…" Emma's jaw was dragging as she walked around, "What is this like the tree of knowledge? I mean, I know the bible doesn't specify, but…" She looked up at the large apple tree in the center of the garden, "I don't know, it looks pretty knowledge-y to me…"

Regina laughed, "It's not literally Eden…" She joked.

Emma looked to her, "Well… you should have specified…" She was still looking up at the sun through the branches and leaves and brilliantly red apples.

"I planted this when I was very young… My father was the Warden here."

Emma tilted her head and looked sideways at her, "Ah, so… disciplinarian runs in the family."

Regina smirked, "My father was actually a very, very kind man… he wasn't anything in comparison to my mother… She…"

The blonde turned fully to her after Regina trailed off and started inspecting apples, "She what?" the younger woman asked while she leaned against the tree.

"She was a wicked woman." Regina wouldn't look Emma in the eye, but it wasn't for the same reasons as earlier. She reached up and grabbed an apple, rubbed I clean on her shirt and offered it to the blonde, "Taste."

Emma stared at the apple a moment, "You can talk about it… if you want to. I won't say a word. I'm good at keeping my mouth shut." She said before she took the apple from the other woman's hand and bit into it, "Oh holy mother of God." She moaned out.

"Good?" Regina smirked.

Emma became suddenly playful, "Why yes, Matron Mills, I'd say your forbidden fruit is the best I've ever tasted."

Regina's jaw was the one to drop at this point. She coughed a brief second before she looked up to see the chef putting all the contents of his tray on the garden table. The chef was a kind man. He knew to leave well enough alone and never say anything to anyone about what he may or may not see.

After a lovely and revealing breakfast, on both of their sides about their childhoods, Emma couldn't help but make the definite decision that Ruby and the rest of them had no idea what they were talking about when they told her to watch out. She had been watching out all morning… Regina didn't lie to her once. She was genuine and sincere… She was officially in like with the woman. That was the official conclusion she came to after a very eye-opening nap in the Matron's office after the best breakfast she'd ever had in her life.

She looked around as she sat up and found Regina working away on some kind of paperwork. She stood up and walked to the window, giving a half smile as she passed by the woman's desk. She saw all of the inmates in 'the square' is what she learned it to be called. She knew she should be down there. She bit her lip as she thought about what she should do.

"Is everything alright, Emma?" Regina took off her glasses and looked at the blonde inmate.

"I should be down there…" Emma looked to the brunette, "I really, really, really enjoy all this special treatment, but I should be down there… I mean, the other inmates will start talking and start calling me and you on the special treatment... and I don't want you to have to deal with that…"

Regina nodded, "If you think it's for the best." She stood and walked over to the blonde, "But I'd really rather you come here in the mornings for a shower or bath… I'd rather you not have to use the communal showers."

Emma laughed, "I happily accept that condition." She walked to the door.

"Should you decide you like it here more, the door is always open for you, Miss Swan." Her throat constricted and she didn't know why.

"Oh don't worry. I'll be back…" She gave the brunette a bright smile before walking down to the square.

She saw Ruby, Mary Margaret and whom she assumed to be Ashley and another blonde and a redhead all sitting on a bench lining the basketball court.

"Come on August! Don't let him foul you like that!" Mary Margaret yelled.

"Babe!" A man on the court looked at her bewildered.

"Just because I'm your wife doesn't mean I have to root for you, David… You were clearly fouling him." Mary Margaret crossed her arms defiantly.

Ruby looked over to the newest blob of orange coming their way, "Hey, hey pregnant lady." She smiled and scooted over a bit to let her sit down.

"Hello." Emma smiled.

"Who's this?" Graham came over to Ruby who gave him the cup of water she was holding.

"This is the fresh meat." Ruby grinned and gave Emma a wink, "She's the matron's replacement for you, boo." Ruby leaned in and kissed him.

Emma gasped and looked down.

"What?" Ruby eyed her suspiciously.

"Nothing, he just… has the hiccups… again." _Okay, so I lied… what am I supposed to say, 'Uh, when you guys were fighting, _he_ was the one that seduced the Matron?' Not likely._

Ruby rolled her eyes, "A girl can move on from the past, Emma."

"I wasn't gasping at… That wasn't it… He—" She sighed and rubbed her stomach, "He has the hiccups." She mumbled.

Graham looked at her, "Listen… Whatever you do, just make sure to watch out. You have no idea what she is capable of."

"And no offense, but you have no idea what I am capable of." She gave him a fake smile.

Graham raised his brows in delight, more in an impressed delight.

"Woah!" Ashley started laughing.

"Look out…" The redhead, the one with the accent… Belle was next.

"New girl's gonna start taking names soon." The other blonde grinned.

The other four men on the court were all laughing as well.

"Come on, Graham, let it go."

Graham only put up a hand, "What are you capable of?"

Emma knew she shouldn't act as if she were the matron's newest bitch, but she couldn't help it, "Well, I got to see the garden this morning and I got to take a bath—What?" She stopped talking as she saw all of their faces drop.

"You've been inside the garden?!" The blonde she didn't know asked.

"Come on Kathryn! She just said that! Keep up!" Ruby shook her head, "What was it like?"

"Was it beautiful?"

"Was it ugly?"

"Were there bunnies and deer and squirrels and birds?"

"Was it everything you could ever want a garden to be and more?"

"Was it dead like her soul?"

"Mary Margaret!" Kathryn scolded then looked down shamefully before looking back up, "Was it?"

Emma smirked. Obviously these people didn't get out much, and this garden thing was like a freaking unicorn or something, "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" Emma happily rubbed her stomach, "There's this apple tree—"

"Did you eat from it?" Ruby asked.

"Oh. My. God." Emma closed her eyes as she remembered the taste of the apple that morning.

"I'm so jealous." Ruby shook her head and pouted, "You've been here like all of five minutes and you've already seen the one thing that none of us have!"

"Yeah, who are you?" Graham asked.

"I'm Emma Swan… bitches." She laughed, "I'm sorry… I don't usually call people I don't know 'bitches'… It just felt like a 'bitches' moment, you know."

Ruby started laughing then stood tall and stamped her foot, "I told you all 'bitches' moments were real!" She sat back down and laced her arm through Emma's, "You're my new best friend, Emma Swan."

It was at this moment that the lunch bell rang. It was like the 13 high schools she went to all over again. The food was at the same disgusting level and everyone was off in pods. She walked with Ruby to where they all were.

"So, Emma…" One of the boys started, "I'm David by the way…"

"Hi David." Emma extended her hand and he took it.

"What brings you here?" He asked pleasantly.

"I Carrie Underwooded my baby daddy's car… which I guess was technically his wife's…" She shrugged.

"Oh… Well…" He obviously didn't know where to go with that, "Nice to have you with us."

"What does that mean?" Belle asked Ashley and her boyfriend, or husband, or whatever he was… her 'Clyde'.

"It means she 'dug her key into the side if his pretty little souped-up four wheel drive—'" The blonde man stopped singing, "Sorry… I couldn't resist." She shrugged, "I'm Sean by the way."

"And this is Frederick." Kathryn said, "I'm Kathryn. That's Belle and Ashley… just in case you haven't been introduced yet."

"Hello everyone." Emma smiled.

Everyone took to their meals quite quickly. Emma only pushed hers around. After lunch was over, and after Emma didn't eat a damn thing, she decided to go see the matron again. She saw Milli, Sidney, Gold and a guy with blonde hair all talking. She smiled but didn't look at any of them as she passed by and walked for the Matron's office door.

"Hey!" Sidney yelled at her, "Where do you think you're going? This floor isn't permitted to you, inmate. Get back to your cell!" Sidney grabbed her arm and yanked at the pregnant girl so that she'd start following him.

"But Regina said that I—"

"Regina?!" Sidney raised his voice and squeezed his hand harder on his arm.

The other three did and said nothing.

"I-I-I-I mean Matron Mills said that I could come by—"

"You really think I'm going to believe you?"

Regina's door opened as Sidney started pulling at the blonde inmate towards the exit.

"Sidney." Regina voice was stern and low. It was very threatening. Sidney could actually hear every last threat come from that one word. He knew he was in for it later… He just didn't know how he was going to make the matron see that he was doing it for her own good.

He turned to face the matron and dropped Emma's arm. He 'guided' the blonde inmate towards the matron by 'accidentally shoving' her forward. Emma stumbled a few steps, but gained her balance quickly. She shot Sidney a death glare before walking over to Regina. The matron stood to the side and gestured for her to go in before she stood in the middle of the doorframe once more.

"Dr. Whale we can discuss specifics at a later date, but I trust that we have everything we will need to provide Miss Swan with the utmost care?"

"Yes ma'am." The blonde man nodded.

"Thank you." She looked from Gold to Milli then settled her angry glare to Sidney, "Do your damn jobs." She pushed into her office. "Are you alright?"

Emma nodded, "I'm fine… been handled a lot worse by scarier dudes."

Regina gave her a firm look, "Yes, well.. You shouldn't be 'handled' at all. You're eight months pregnant for crying out loud." The brunette sat next to the blonde on the couch.

"Is everything okay?"

Emma nodded, "I'm a little hungry…" She bit her lip.

Regina chuckled, "Ah, inmate cuisine not really to your liking?"

"Not after the passed couple meals you've given me!" Emma said, "Seriously… how is that stuff and the stuff you eat even close to the same cooking?"

Regina leaned in, "It's not… I have my own personal chef… well my very small staff does as well… when they are on my good side, which is why they are such loyal workers… A way to an employee's heart is through free, five-star meals…" She winked.

Emma nodded, "That would definitely work for me."

"So… what would you like?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

"What do you suppose is really going on with them?" Graham asked.

Ruby thought about it, "I don't know… I mean… the matron wouldn't schtup a pregnant girl…"

"And she wouldn't use inmates for sex." Graham whispered in her ear… he'd confessed the truth a long time ago… but Ruby refused to let Graham sully his reputation because he had a moment of weakness and the Matron was the only woman that kind of compared to her… she actually took it as a compliment… in a weird way that wouldn't make any sense to anyone.

"Shh." Ruby turned to him and pecked his lips.

"I bet they're related in some way and that's why she gets to stay up there." David said.

"Oh! That's good… I bet that she wants to take the baby once it's out." Sean took a turn.

"Sean!" Ashley hit him, "She took our baby because we're both incarcerated! She didn't take it because she wants one for herself! We have no way to take care of her!"

"I'll bet that she's going to use her as a double agent. No one share anything personal with her." August piped up.

"Oh come on August… it's not like the officers don't already know our dirty laundry." Belle looked at the scruffy-faced man.

"I am concerned for our new friend though…" Mary Margaret looked to everyone.

"Why?" Frederick asked.

"I just get the feeling that everything is going to change… really, really change… soon."

"I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen…" Kathryn piped up, "I mean… I'll bet that Matron Mills is just trying to make her stay as comfortable as possible… Emma is about to pop at any moment; I'm sure she's just sympathizing…"

"But why? Why is she sympathizing?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Maybe she likes her… Maybe she saw her face and everything fell into place and now she's like in love… just from looking at her once!" Everyone looked over at her, "What?"

"There's no such thing as love at first sight, or first kiss…" Mary Margaret shook her head.

"Now, I wouldn't say that." David gave her a crooked smile.

"Seriously!" Ruby said, "I'll bet they're in love by the end of the month… I have a nose for these kinds of things. You all know I'm right!"

They all looked at the brunette and began thinking about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'll be putting the asks at the top of the chapters until I run out!**

**Anonymous asked you: This lovely new prison concept was brilliantly written! Please continue it! It's so intriguing I'd love to see where you would take that story!**

**PS this chapter is extra fluffy. The next couple chapters will be this way, but there will be drama-lama to come, I promise!**

The rest of that first week panned out much the same way as the first couple days. Regina would walk Emma to her cell for lights out, and she would wake her first thing in the morning. They would walk back to her office, where Emma, if she felt the want to, would take a bath or a shower then take a morning nap—the couch was much more comfortable that the cot in her cell. After waking the second time, she'd walk to the window, look out at everyone and decide that she needed to go down for a while.

When she would get hungry, she would come back to Regina's office; Regina would either have lunch already and waiting, or she would give Emma a menu and let her decide. Regina had also made sure that Sidney was to never talk or scoff or glare or really anything at Emma for coming to her office. If possible, she would give him duties on the other side of the prison until she knew Emma was safe in her office.

Emma walked in, this particular day to Milli, frustrated hands on the Matron's desk, bent slightly to have the Matron's full attention, "I think that you need to understand what could happen if she stays here for too long!" The blonde guard hissed, "This will affect everyone! This is not just you changing! Everything is changing if you continue on the positively moral path you're on."

Regina was unimpressed as she looked up to Milli, "And what is so wrong with having morals?"

Milli laughed, "I don't know why he thought you'd be able to do it. Just because you're your mother's daughter doesn't mean that you're anything like her."

"I take that as a compliment." Regina leaned off to the side, having seen movement behind the blonde guard before her. She smiled over to the blonde inmate.

"Yes, you would, wouldn't you?" Milli knew Regina ignored her, so she waved in front of the Matron's face, "Have you thought about the consequences of this? What all will happen to you?"

Regina stood, walked around her desk and leaned deadly close to the guard, "Sometimes you do things and damn the consequences because they won't matter in the end."

Milli glared and if possible took a step closer, "You once told me that love is weakness. You remember that?"

Regina glared back, "I lied."

Milli turned to look at the inmate; Emma wasn't sure what kind of look it was. It was mixed with fear and fury. Milli kept her eyes trained on her for a moment before saying nothing and stalking out of the room.

"If I interrupted, you could've said… I'd have come back…" Emma started in as soon as Milli was gone.

"Nonsense." Regina waved her hands, "Come. Sit." She gestured to the couch, grabbed a menu and walked over herself. She gave the blonde the menu choices for the day and sat back against the corner couch, one arm atop the arm and one arm draping the back, eyes closed.

Emma took it, but didn't look right away. She stared at the Matron a moment, "Really, Regina… I could've—"

"You did me a favor." The brunette calmly interrupted. "I didn't want to be in that conversation to begin with. Interrupting us was a Godsend." She opened one of her eyes, "What would you like for lunch?"

Emma looked at the menu then back at the brunette, "I had a PB&J already."

Regina arched her brown high, "A PB&J?"

Emma smiled and looked down, "I didn't want you to think that I only came up here for your five-star cuisine." She shyly looked back up to the brunette.

Regina smiled, "I didn't think that that was the only reason you came up here… I thought you came up here for my bathtub as well…" She chuckled.

"Hey! You won't let me bathe with everyone else…" Emma pointed at her. She took in a short huff of air before she continued, "Which I can't thank you enough for! I hate communal showers." They both laughed for a moment before Emma sobered, "Those aren't the only reasons I come up here."

Regina nodded again, a twinkle in her eyes, "I know… You also like my couch. It's probably comfier than your cot."

Emma sighed, playfully frustrated, "That's not it either." She said with a yawn.

Regina nodded and stood up, "Sleep."

"I'm fine…"

"Sleep." Regina softly commanded again.

Emma nodded and started to lay down, "You don't have to tell me twice."

Regina smirked, "Yes, apparently it's three times: Sleep." She quietly moved over to her desk to finish the paperwork she had been working on before Milli came in. She called down to her chef as soon as she knew Emma was sound asleep and asked for a PB&J of her own.

Once the chef came in quietly and gave her the sandwich and a few sides he decided they should have—he knew that Emma was up here because Regina Mills had never ordered something so simple in her life—he walked out without a second glance toward the sleeping girl. Regina made a mental note to give the chef a hefty bonus and a raise at the year's end.

She picked up her plate and walked over to the small space between the coffee table and couch. She didn't eat any of her chips, knowing that they would crunch and wake the blonde, but she did eat the fruit he provided and her sandwich. She turned a little so she was facing away from Emma's face and towards her belly.

She looked down at the plate she moved to her lap and picked at the crust on her bread, pulled some of it up and stuck it in her mouth, "I'll bet your first word is 'Mama.'" She spoke softly and looked to the belly. "I'll bet she gets your first steps on camera so you can see them when you're grown." She picked more at her bread, "I'll bet you'll be the best-looking of all the princes throughout your kingdom when this thing ends and we all go back." She bit her lip and blinked. That was the first time she had _ever_ acknowledged the curse in this world. "I'll bet you're a good, charming prince like your grampa." She sighed as she did it once more. She didn't know why she was talking to the fetus, she just knew that it felt right… she knew that for once in her life, something felt right. She laid her head against the cushion, but made sure not to touch the blonde so she wouldn't rouse her. "I bet all the girls will want you; I'll bet you'll fight them off."

Emma woke up. Henry had been kicking and dancing like he did when he was excited; like he did when _she_ talked to him. The last thing she was expecting to find was the brunette head of the warden of the prison leaning against the couch as she talked to the baby inside her belly.

Regina wanted to touch her belly, but refrained, "I'll bet that more than anything else in life you'll fight for love, you'll marry for love and you'll live for love."

It felt to Emma like Henry just did a flip from excitement at that. It also felt like Regina might be opening up more to her unborn child than to her… and she couldn't help but want to stay still a little longer.

"I'll bet that your mother is there for you, that she'll put you above all else, that she'll make sure that you are wanted… I'll bet that she is the reason you decide to do everything for love. I'll be she finds the greatest father for you… or the greatest second mother in the case of the woman we're talking about—sorry to be so frank, but she said it earlier this week, not me… But, I bet that they set the example of the life you want for yourself…"

Emma couldn't help her hand as she felt it move for Regina's scalp. But she didn't regret it as her fingers landed in the soft tresses and started running along the length of her locks. She didn't even regret it when Regina turned around with a jump to look at her. She really didn't regret when that happened actually because when that happened, their eyes automatically locked on each other.

Neither dared to look away. They let the intensity of this unmasked stare go on for as long as possible, which as fate would have it was not long enough, or even long at all.

Sidney started wrapping on the door, "Matron Mills, you're needed right away in the square. It's The Captain and Jefferson."

Regina's jaw jut to the side as she tore away and stared at the door, "I'll be right down, Sidney." She looked back up to Emma, "The Captain—he doesn't go by his real name and makes everyone call him that," She gave her a look, "And Jefferson, are two of our…. Less stable inmates. I really need to go see what's happened."

Emma nodded, "Alright." Her voice was hoarse for a reason she couldn't say.

Regina swallowed a gulp then leaned over her stomach to have a private moment with Henry, "I'll bet… No, I shouldn't bet for this… More than anything, I hope and wish that I get to be a _good_ part of your life, Henry. More than anything I hope to be a _good_ part of someone's life… Even if I am nothing more than an evil witch." She couldn't have stopped herself if she wanted to from leaning down and kissing Emma's stomach. Before quickly getting up, grabbing her 'Matron-Mills-important-BAMF' garb and hurrying away.

Emma wished more than anything that she had been able to hear what Regina said. Henry seemed to be pretty happy about the whole thing, and that gave her a fluttering sensation all over. Knowing that she hadn't taken advantage of the tub that morning, she decided to take advantage of the tub now.

She spread the salts and scents in the warm water before she got in and relaxed. She splayed her hand on her stomach and felt the same reaction from her son that Regina got earlier, that only she had ever gotten before today. She didn't know if she believed in signs and she didn't know if that even was a sign, but somewhere in the back of her mind a thought—that would spur on more and more thoughts—quickly made its way passed everything else: what if it was a sign? What would life be like if she were doted on by Regina for more than just a few more weeks; what if she were doted on even after Henry came out; what if she got to keep Henry and Regina was there to help her; what if Regina was there to sooth her and give her an extra pair of hands?

The thoughts were almost too much because they quickly led to the beginnings of fantasies of happily-ever-afters. She didn't want to stop them right away like she normally did. Instead she left everything relax her sore back and hips.

Regina returned as quickly as she could. She knew that she was about to blow her lid as Sidney… it was nothing that he couldn't handle himself. And she wanted to talk with Emma about what she heard, if anything incriminating, and what that stare meant. But, she wasn't in her office. She needed to splash some water on her face at the very least to try and literally cool herself off.

She twisted the knob angrily and took half a step in before seeing the blonde in the tub, very, very naked, with no covering whatsoever. She saw everything. And she couldn't take her eyes off. After unabashedly looking every inch of the pregnant inmate over, she reached the blonde's eyes.

Emma on the other hand, seemed to freeze and not think to cover herself up. She didn't know if she was going to be in trouble for not asking permission, but when Regina looked at her… She knew it wasn't necessarily her that was in trouble.

Their gazes locked once more and this was when she realized that she should've averted her eyes. She looked down and covered her eyes with her hand, "I am so sorry."

Emma had never been one for good timing with her jokes, and this was no exception. She tilted her head curiously and said, "Once would think, with the look you just gave me, that you have a thing for pregnant chicks."

Regina took her hand from her eyes, turning candy apple red as she blushed furiously, all the while shaking her head vehemently, "NO!" She started, "No I…" She gulped and walked forward, "I just wasn't expecting to find you there, naked in my tub at this time of day…" She sat down, crisscross applesauce and started picking at the strands of carpet on the bathmat, "I… I don't have a thing for pregnant women." She knit her brows and shook her head a few times more before feels herself flush even more as she just barely gets out, "Though I do have a thing for beauty…" She refused to look at the blonde inmate and focused on the bathmat.

Emma couldn't help the awkward, embarrassed chuckle that came from her before she said, "You're blushing." She watched as the brunette only focused even more intently on the rug and decided to say what she was thinking to see if the brunette would even catch it, "If you have a thing for beauty I'm really, really surprised that you're not vain…"

Regina knit her brows confusedly, but still refused to look at the blonde.

Emma smiled at this reaction. She turned a bit on her side and leaned forward so that her chin rested against he porcelain lip of the lip of the tub, "I'm surprised you're not vain because you said you had a thing for beauty, and if I were you, I'd be looking at myself in the mirror all the time."

This made Regina looked up questioningly, her brows still knit.

Emma swallowed and made sure that she had Regina's eyes before she continued, "I think you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She was the one to now avoid eye contact as Regina looked at her.

The brunette smiled. She dared to do what she wanted for once; she scooted as close to the tub as possible, took Emma's face in her hands and kissed her forehead, "Take your time in here." She spoke softly, "I'm going to go for a walk." She walked out to her office and saw the time. Dealing with Sidney on top of dealing with The Captain and Jefferson and talking to Henry and the stare and the other stare and… the entire bathroom thing took longer than she thought it had. She called down to the chef and asked him for a dinner in the garden before she darted to said garden to try and think.

Emma sat there for a moment or two longer. She knew where the brunette was going to go, but hearing the brunette confirm her words to the chef on the phone only brought a smile to her face. She didn't want to take her time in the bath when the Matron had just fricken kissed her!… Granted it was her forehead, but it was still a kiss! She got out, dried off and dressed as quickly as possible.

She headed straight for the garden. She didn't see her there at all, but knew that she had to be on the other side of the large trunk of the apple tree. She cautiously made her way over and around to see that Regina was in fact leaning her back against the tree. She bit her lip, deciding on if she wanted to tell Regina this bit of information before she ultimately decided that she deserved to know, "You know… Henry has only ever kicked for me."

Regina nodded then tried to look away from Emma. Emma's hand grabbing the inside of her elbow held her in place though.

"When I woke up this afternoon to you… talking to him… he was responding to you. He was excited because of your voice. He likes you."

The brunette turned to look at Emma not knowing what to say.

Emma smiled, "I think he likes you because you were the first person I've been around that's relaxed me since I got knocked up… You're the only person that's ever relaxed me actually…"

Regina looked down at Emma's protruding orange belly and smiled. She blinked and looked to see a drop of water land on Emma's stomach; she realized it was from her and was tears though. She wiped her face quickly not knowing why she was crying to begin with. She swallows the lump in her throat as she actually does know why she was crying. She just knows that she can't tell her. She stared at the wet droplet on the orange jumpsuit before finally looking up at the blonde, "You are the only person that has ever made me feel so strongly so fast." She turns away and looks at the yellow-orange haze that covered the sky, "I've always been a… a passionate person, but I've never been happy for too long." She paused as she contemplated her next words, "You scare me."

"I scare you?" Emma asked more as a prompting for the brunette to go on if she could.

She placed her hands on the trunk behind her for cushion on her tailbone, "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" She mumbled the repeated words to the blonde. "I've only known you a week. I mean that's nothing; that's a blink of an eye…" She shook her head, "But already in this blink that's gone by, I don't know what the hells gonna happen to me when you leave me… when you leave the prison."

Emma smiled and placed her hand on the brunette's cheek, "Regina… I like to think I'll have reasons to come back…" She put her finger over the brunette's lips, "And it won't be for your couch or your five-star cuisine or your tub." She grinned and inhaled then looked back to where the table was to see food laid out, "Although I do love your chef and his five-star cuisine…"

She pulled one Regina's arm and linked their fingers together as she led them to the table. They had a lovely dinner, though it might have been a bit awkward—a good awkward; neither of them were women that shared their feelings. So that was a feat in itself. They talked a long time in the garden. It was well passed lights out when they realized the time.

Emma heaved herself up, refusing Regina's help, and before they opened the door to go back inside, Emma stopped her. She leaned up and placed a peck to her lips. Regina barely understood what just happened and by the time she completely processed that had just been kissed for the first time by someone that actually wanted to kiss her in 20 years, Emma was halfway down the hall. She quickly ran after her and took the blonde's hand, as she usually did to lead her to her cell. They both knew that this time, there was something electrically different in the fact that they were holding hands, and they were both excited about it.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Happy Turkey Day! I hope you enjoy. I know it's been a long time, but I'm hoping that from here on out I will get to be pretty frequent with my updates.**

**Oh, and ironically, this nightmare idea I'd had written before the Aurora Henry stuff… so it really has ****_nothing_**** to do with that. It's not the same nightmare or anything, just a nightmare. That is all.**

**Enjoy!**

Three weeks into Emma's incarceration, Regina found herself interrupted from her paperwork by a certain blonde that had taken over her couch. She was whimpering in her sleep, and jerking around. Cautiously, Regina got up and walked to her, "Miss Swan?"

Nothing. Nada. Just more whimpers. She moved her hand on instinct to the blonde's face, "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here."

Emma reached up in her sleep and grabbed Regina's hand for dear life. She seemed to calm a bit, but she was still scared; that much was obvious. So, Regina, not able to take her hand away and now completely uncomfortable thanks to the young inmate that was grasping her hand and wrist for dear life against her sternum, she dared to go where she vowed not to. Ever since that day three weeks ago, Regina had gone out of her way to keep her distance from the blonde inmate. She scared her too much. But there was something about her and she couldn't help herself. She crawled behind her, becoming the big spoon and held her close.

"Shh…" She whispered again, "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere." She peered over Emma to see that the blonde was now physically relaxing, although she wasn't going to give Regina's arm up for anything.

Eventually, her grip loosened and Regina's hand automatically went to her swollen belly. She ran her hand up and down soothingly and made the blonde relax further. After knowing that Emma was devoid of nightmares, she quickly got up and moved back to her desk.

A while later Emma woke up with a start. She didn't let the next nightmare begin; she just forced herself awake.

"Goodness…" Regina was already half way over to her when she sat up, "Are you alright?"

Emma nodded, but unconsciously reached out for the brunette, who was immediately sitting next to her. Emma didn't realize just how vulnerable she was feeling until she found herself curled to Regina's side, holding one of the brunette's hands against her stomach and feeling the other trail through her hair.

"Emma…"

"No." She shook her head, "No talking. Not yet."

Regina looked down at her with worried brown eyes. Emma looked up and only cuddled closer. "Alright." Regina began running her fingers through her hair once more.

After a few more minutes, Emma sighed, "I can't remember what they are…" She said.

"Oh?" Regina knit a worried brow.

"I've had nightmares all my life. I've had one a year the night I was born actually… And I've been getting them a lot since I got knocked up, but I can't ever remember what they are… But I remembered parts of this one."

"You did?"

Emma nodded, "Mm hmm, flashes. But they don't make sense."

"How so?"

"Well, I saw Ruby and Graham and Mary Margaret and David. But they were all dressed like for a play or a movie or something. It was weird. I saw you too…" She looked up to the brunette.

"Really?"

"Yeah…" Emma reached up, squaring herself to the matron and took the brunette's face daringly in both hands, "But your eyes…" She shook her head and shivered, "They weren't your eyes. They were evil."

"My eyes aren't evil?" Regina started, "I need to work on that if I want to keep my job and intimidate the inmates..."

Emma tilted her head when Regina tried to joke, "I'm serious."

"As am I, dear." Her tone was soft.

"No you're not." Emma smiled, "You're a good person."

"I am many things." Regina pulled from Emma and moved to stand, "Good is not one of them."

"You are many things and good is the best of them." Emma stood up and followed the brunette to her desk, "I can see the real you Regina. You can act like a bitch of a hardass all you want, but I know that you're good. I know that you would give me the shirt off your back if I needed it."

"You are the only person I am pleasant to." Regina admitted.

Emma smiled, "That's all it takes. One person to change your world. If you let them change it at least."

"Why are you so adamant about my being good?"

"Because the look that you had in my dream was completely and utterly evil. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life." She pushed—she heaved herself up onto the desk and looked at her, "It scared me. But I don't think it was because it was an evil look, I think it was because of all the pain you, in my dream, must have gone through to turn you so cold." She shrugged, "I don't want you to be turned cold." She tilted her head and looked at her, "Can you stay warm?"

Regina looked around at different things. She never looked at the blonde, "I can try. For you, I can try."

Emma smiled and hooked her foot under Regina's chair and slid her between her legs, "I want to do something, but I don't know how you'll react."

Regina stared at the belly in front of her then looked up and with a low, barely there tone she asked, "What do you want to do?"

Emma's smile turned to a Cheshire grin as she leaned down and whispered in the Matron's ear, "I wanna kiss you." She finished by proving her point and kissing her ear, "Is that alright?" She kissed her jaw, "If I kiss you?" she finished with a kiss on the Matron's cheek and waited with baited breath.

"Yeaah—Yes. That's alright." Regina nodded quickly before she pushed up and captured the blonde's lips before Emma could make another move.

Emma's surprise quickly turned to want as she held Regina's face to hers before wrapping an arm around her neck. Regina stood and put her hands flat on the desk, leaning over the blonde as the kiss deepened.

"God." Emma moaned as the brunette eventually pulled away but kept close so she didn't have to move her arm, "We should continue that."

Regina grinned as she leaned forward, "I would like that very much." Instead of moving closer, she took Emma's arm and unwrapped it from her neck, "But I can't. We can't."

"Why?" Emma pouted.

"It's against the rules."

"No it's not. You've done it before." Emma tried to pulled her back.

Regina gave her a look, "It's highly frowned upon." She walked to her window and looked onto the square, "And I haven't done this before."

"But Graham—"

"That was purely physical." She waved the blonde off, "This is not. I don't know what this is, but it's not… that."

"Okay." Emma understood what she was trying to say, but she wanted to see if she could get the brunette to say something that would make it solid. That would make her not walk on air waiting for gravity to kick in, "What is it then?"

"It's…" She looked over to the blonde that was walking to her then gestured to the couch. Emma gave her a look then walked to the couch and sat down. "It's so much more than that." She placed her hand on Emma's stomach as she sat next to her. "I want to try with you. I want to be there for you…" She took a deep breath, "I know we haven't known each other long, but I would like to ask you something… however I am quite afraid of the answer… Even though I'm staying warm for you. I'm trying to stay warm for you; I still think it might be best if I wait, but there isn't time… And they say there's no time like the present, but maybe I should wait. But this would show you how I feel, I guess, but I don't, I can't…" She shook her head.

Emma smiled and covered the hand on her stomach, "Regina, just say it… I won't judge or anything… I mean, really… what place do I have?" She gestured to her prisoner coveralls and her pregnant belly. "And like you said, you're staying warm for me. I hardly think it will be bad if your feelings are what I hope they are…"

Regina bounced the question a bit more in her mind before deciding to just go for it. "Well… I wanted to offer you a place to live… when you get out… and I wanted to offer you a place for Henry as well… I have a two bedroom cottage just on the city line, it's quiet and peaceful…"

Emma knit her brows, "How could that work?"

"Well… Umm… The only way I can think of is if you let me sign adoption papers stating that I'm Henry's other mother… that way, when he's born, I could take him home at night until we get you out and then we'd both have him during the day…" She bit her lip, "I can easily turn the guest bedroom into a nursery and—"

"When I get out… where would I sleep?" Emma interrupted, staring at the Matron's lips.

Regina swallowed and looked up at Emma, "Well… you would stay in the master bedroom of course…" Her throat constricted as she added in a low, tight tone, "With me…"

"You want to share a bed with me after only one kiss!?"

"We've kissed more than once…" Regina tried to defend.

Emma gave her a look and her hand a squeeze, "Once kiss that counts." She said before starting into 'the issues', "You don't know my sleeping habits… you don't know if I snore or kick or talk or…"

"You half mumble every so often… only when you have nightmares. You curl into me when I lay behind you to comfort you in your sleep. You don't deserve jail time and I don't deserve you… but I want you and I want to make you happy… and I really, really think I can." Regina's words were out before she could do a damn thing to stop them…

Though, they seemed to be exactly what Emma needed to spur the blonde on… Because literally once they were out, Emma leapt as best she could over to her side of the couch and kissed her hard.

As she pulled away, she looked into her eyes, "I think you can make me happy too." She said.

**AN: I know that this one is much shorter than the other chapters, but the next one is going to be baby time, and I feel like it will probably make up for the shortness… if it doesn't then the next chapter DEFNITITELY will. I had my House-like epiphany for this story a few weeks ago, and well, I hope that you guys enjoy it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Anonymous asked you:**

**Please, tell me it's gonna have a sequel of Matron Mills and the Pregnant Inmate. That story could be awesome if had a continuation. =(**

**AN: I've got about 8 chapters planned out, so we will see how this goes. I plan to finish this story before the New Year. If I don't then before my break is over. I actually plan to do a LOT of writing over this break. Get excited people.**

Regina walked Emma into the jail cell after a long, life-altering, decision-making, couple-in-love-developing talk. Regina didn't want to, but Emma insisted that she at least serve this part of her sentence for as long as she could. She laid down and Regina sat facing her, "You don't have to stay here…" the brunette spoke so soft, Emma could barely hear her.

She smiled and nuzzled into the hand that lay on her cheek, "Yes I do." She turned her head and kissed the other woman's palm.

Regina took this opportunity to lean down and kiss her once, twice, three times before she sat up again, "I'll come for you early." She whispered as she stood and moved to the cell door. She turned for a response from the blonde who nodded once their eyes met. "Until tomorrow."

Emma grinned, biting her bottom lip before whispering, "Until tomorrow."

Regina nodded before slowly making her way out of the cell and out of the cellblock.

Emma laid her head down, but before she could even think about closing her eyes, or throwing her pillow in her face and screaming like the excited teenaged girl she was, Ruby spoke up from the cell next to her, "God, I am so jealous of you…" She said. "I wish I had been knocked up and fallen for the Matron when I came here…"

"Ruby!" Emma got up from her bunk and walked to the cell bars, sticking her head out of the cell.

"Well, I do! I mean… You two are just… sickeningly sweet… I've never seen her like that and I've been here a long time."

Mary Margaret stuck her head between the bars across the way, "It's true. She is so…" She paused in search of a word, "Attentive around you."

Ruby agreed and tried to look to the blonde, "It's almost as if she cares about other things and people when you're around."

Emma did her best to glare to the brunette, making the black haired woman giggle, "It's true Emma! She cares about other things besides herself and her garden… that I still say is black and ominous."

"Her garden is beautiful." The blonde looked to Mary Margaret.

"If we know what you mean?" Ruby looked to Mary Margaret as well and gave an exaggerated wink.

"Ruby!" The raven-haired woman scolded.

Emma only rolled her eyes and blushed, "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"You mean besides the hottest topic around the entire prison?" Mary Margaret asked.

"No." Ruby said, "We can't. What's gonna happen when you have the baby?"

Emma looked down at her stomach and rubbed it before looking in the general direction of Ruby's cell, "Uhh… I'm gonna go to bed."

"OH! That means it's spicy! Come on, Emma! Tell us!" Ruby tried, but no response came. "Fine, be that way. I'll just come at you like a honey badger all day tomorrow."

"We'll see." Were the last flippant words from the blonde for the night.

Emma went back to her bed and lay down. It didn't take long before she was asleep, and took even less time for the dream to enter her subconscious once more.

The people in her dream this time were only David, Mary Margaret and Regina… and then a baby and some blacked out crazy looking knights. As the dream played out, she tried to make sense of it all, but nothing about the dream made sense.

She woke with a start as the last part rang clear in her mind. Mary Margaret was holding David's head and looked up to the shadow approaching, "Why did you do this?" she was in tears.

"Because this is _my_ happy ending." The evil Regina, the one with the eyes that weren't hers said.

Emma looked around as her hands held her up; something had to give. Something had to explain the dreams. She tilted her head and looked to Mary Margaret across the way then jumped when the door to the cellblock opened and footfalls neared.

Regina's concerned, knit brows and tilted head appeared when she first laid eyes on the blonde and found her awake. She unlocked her cell and Emma immediately walked over to her and took her face.

Her concern only grew, "Is everything alright?"

Emma stared into those brown, cow eyes. She looked back and forth and tried to see if there was any glimpse of evil in them like in her dream. She found none. She hugged Regina and nodded against her neck, "Just another bad dream." She whispered, "Can I take a fancy bath?"

"Of course, Emma."

Emma held onto the brunette tighter and they walked with Regina's arm around the blonde protectively to her office, and more importantly, to her fancy bathroom. The blonde convinced the brunette to stay with her in the bathroom and to sit next to her as she tried to relax.

"Do you want to talk about it? Whatever it is that's haunting you?"

"Haunting me? Why do you say that?" Emma looked over to her girlfriend… yes, her _girlfriend_.

"Well, some say that dreams are wishes your heart makes. Mine, at least the ones I remember only serve to remind me of the bad I've endured. They only haunt me. You've said bad dream. I can only assume the same…"

"No, it's never happened, not for real anyways… And I'm not actually in it. Just you…" She locked eyes with the brunette, "You with evil eyes though…"

"And everyone else was still dressed for a play?"

"Yeah but it was real…" She knit her brows, "But it obviously wasn't…"

Regina wasn't sure what to say. She leaned forward and placed her chin on the porcelain lip, "I wish I could make you feel better."

Emma smiled and leaned over, "You do."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma spent some time in the office with her girlfriend, but she felt the need to get out. "I'm going to go for a walk I think." She kissed her head and ran her fingers through the brunette locks.

"Would you like me to join you?" Regina looked up from her paperwork and took off her glasses.

"No, it's fine." Emma could tell that Regina was only being polite. That, and she wanted to try and figure this dream thing out.

She walked along the corridors that led to the library and entered without the hesitation she normally felt while going into a library.

She began walking around, hoping that she would be able to find a book on dream interpretations, but she came across an old, ratty book in the back corner. She felt a pull towards the ridiculously large, leather bound book and before she knew it, she was sitting in that back corner, crisscross applesauce, examining the front cover: _Once Upon a Time_. The letters were golden and fancy.

She opened up and the scent of the book alone was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. It was like peppermint and cocoa; it was everything she'd ever thought a home should smell like. She began on page one.

The story was unlike anything she'd heard of Snow White. But what caught her attention more than the words she read were the pictures that went along with the book. They looked exactly like her dream Mary Margaret and David and Regina. The evil queen's knights matched her dream as well.

She flipped the page having studied a picture of Snow and Charming looking at a baby telling her to come back to them to one of Regina with the evil eyes bending over Mary—Snow. The words were the last line of the page, she couldn't not see them: 'The Evil Queen looked down upon the White Princess, 'Because this is _my_ happy ending.''

Emma gasped and stared at the cartoonized, evil version of the Regina she knew. She traced the paper and zoned out completely on this version of Regina. She bit her lip and tried to image what any of this meant.

Before long, she heard clacking of heels and quickly shoved the book, spine first into the bottom shelf. When she turned around, having heard the clacking stop, she saw the Matron leaning against a bookshelf with a smile gracing her lips.

"Is this where you've been hiding all day? I've been looking everywhere for you…"

Emma gave a small smile as she tried to stand. Regina was quickly at her side to help her, "Thanks." Emma's voice was small. She looked down at the book she'd been reading in slight wonder.

"Anything interesting?"

"Nah, just some old fairytales." The blonde shrugged. She took the Matron's face and stared into her eyes once again.

"Emma, are you alright?"

The blonde knit her brows in confusion, "I feel…." A sudden warming sensation filled the inside of her thighs. She reached out and grabbed Regina's arm as she looked down, "Wet! I feel wet!"

Regina looked down to see a darker orange spreading over the jumpsuit the blonde was wearing. She stared in wonder for a moment wondering how the woman could just lose her bladder when realization came over her, "Wet!"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma had been changed out of her jumpsuit and into a standard hospital gown. Regina had made sure that the prison was prepared for this in the first week that Emma arrived. Dr. Whale had everything he could possibly need to deliver this baby.

The blonde was in the stirrups, and had been for what felt like seven years.

"Okay, Emma, I don't want you to push yet, not until I say. Okay?" Dr. Whale looked up from his spot between her legs to see the worn out inmate close her eyes and nod. "Alright."

Emma didn't know what he was doing, but the doctor had better finish fast. She was pushing a watermelon through a lemon, or she would if the damn doctor would let her. She turned her hate from the doctor to the man that made her this way. She grunted angrily causing the doctor, the matron and the selected nurses to look her way.

Whale tried to hide a chuckle as he finished his task, "Okay, Emma. Push."

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! FUCK HIM! FUCK HIM UP THE FUCKING ASSHOLE! THAT FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!"

Regina and the good doctor looked to one another and back to the inmate.

"…I need you to push again." Whale finally spoke.

"You can do this, Emma." Regina whispered in her ear as she finally jumped into action and took the blonde's hand in one of hers then began stroking her sweaty hair with the other.

"Okay, here he comes." After some quick work with the infant, Dr. Whale held Henry as he let out his first big wail.

"He's out?" Emma was exhausted.

"He's out." Regina confirmed. She looked to see that everyone else was facing away from them before she leaned down and kissed the blonde's sweaty temple, "You did great."

"I did?" Emma was still panting, her voice the epitome of wiped out.

"You did." The brunette's voice was soft as well.

Henry came out at 6 pounds 7 ounces. He was given to Emma who immediately soothed him. Once both mothers got to see him and hold him, he was taken out and Emma was cleaned.

Regina lay down next to her and held her as best she could; Emma happily fell asleep in her arms. She, for once in her life, felt completely content. That lasted all of a minute and a half before Milli walked in.

The blonde guard kept her voice soft, "Well, well, well, isn't this just the picture of perfection?"

"What do you want?" Regina slowly extracted herself so as not to disturb the sleeping beauty.

Millicent gave the Matron a look, "What do I want? I want for nothing, you know that. That was part of the deal." She closed the door and glanced to the blonde, "She is beautiful, isn't she? You were always a sucker for the beautiful ones."

"Milli you keep your threats on me." Regina closed in on the woman.

"Threats? Have you heard a threatening word from my lips?"

"I can read between the lines." Regina crossed her arms, "Again I ask, what do you want?"

"I want you…" She kept her eyes on the sleeping inmate before she was finally interrupted by brown hair and eyes, "To _think_ about what exactly you're doing here." Regina gave the woman a look asking her what she meant, "Adopting the boy? Holding… that? Holding _their _child while she rests?"

"Shut your mouth."

"Regina!" The prison guard hissed in a whisper, "You _know_ who she is—!"

"I told you to shut your mouth." Regina leaned forward an intimidating inch.

Milli glared at the brunette before she walked out of the room. Regina turned to the sleeping blonde and walked back over to her. She sat in the chair and took her hand, tracing the delicate fingers in thought, "They say that love is weakness… So be it. I am weak."

~0~0~0~0~0~

The dream had happened again, "This is _my_ happy ending." She wanted to wake up again, but she couldn't seem to force her eyes open. Instead she watched the cracks in the ceiling and then in the sky take over everything, she could even hear the cracks as they presented themselves. Everything turned dark and silence seemed to scream in the black. However, in the blink of an eye everything was bright and white. The whiteness faded and sounds seeped into the world, the new world that was. Birds were chirping and grass was green, a bunny scurried across tree roots.

Suddenly, Regina appeared. Her Regina. Not the evil Regina. The Regina she saw and was falling in love with. Her eyes were still dark, but there seemed to be something quelling the evil within them. She looked down then up into the apple tree. She was in her garden. She took a few moments, gathering herself before she walked out of the garden and into the prison.

It was as the door clicked shut that she allowed herself to wake up. She sat up gasping and her eyes were wide. Regina was pacing with a smile as she held the baby boy close to her. Brown eyes quickly searched her face as she heard the noise, "Is everything okay? Did you have the bad dream again?"

The blonde stared at the woman before her. She looked into her eyes and she found a concerned, worried, loving look. But something else was there. Something that told Emma that everything was true. The dream was real; it was what really happened.

"Emma?"

"What? Yeah… I did. It's fine. I'm fine." Emma looked to the bundle in Regina's arms, "Can I hold him?"

"Of course, Emma. He's your son." Regina set the baby in her arms.

"He's your son too." Emma smiled at the brunette. The look in the matron's eyes had told her that it was true, yes. But the look she saw in that moment, was everything she'd ever need to believe that Regina was good and that she was doing the right thing giving her son to her.

~0~0~0~0~0~

She had been back in her bed for two nights, and she still couldn't get the thought that everyone was a fairytale character from her head.

She put Henry in his crib in the Matron's office for a nap and looked into the yard. "I'm going to go and talk with Ruby and them. I haven't gotten to in a while, alright?" She looked over to the brunette, who only nodded.

She ran her fingers through the brunette locks once and kissed her cheek, then hovered, waiting for the matron to turn for a real kiss. After receiving her real kiss she went outside to find Ruby sitting on the bleachers as everyone else was on the court.

"Why aren't you playing?"

"I'm too good at this game; they don't let me." Ruby said with complete confidence.

"That's not true! She's horribly competitive and sucks the fun from it!" Mary Margaret said as she waited behind the three-point line, trying to distract anyone from her husband and the ball.

"Mary Margaret! I'm excellently competitive!" Ruby grinned a Cheshire grin from the bleachers and turned to Emma, "Hey, Mommy, you're a lot smaller than the last time I got to see you… And you've been hiding out with your lovuh since the baby popped. When do I get to see him?"

"When he's more than five days old." Emma grinned.

"How old?" Ruby gave her a questioning look.

"Old enough to sustain the many germs and things you prisoners might have."

"Oh you. Always brining up the fact that we're in prison to keep us from seeing your baby."

Emma grinned and leaned into the brunette, nudging her playfully, "I at least want him to be in the double digits of days old." She laughed.

"Fine, fine. Why are you not gushing all over him?"

"He's sleeping."

"And why aren't you? Isn't that like the number one rule?" Ruby asked, "Sleep when the baby is sleeping?"

"Yes, but I've been having nightmares…"

"Ah, you don't think you're cut out for it?"

"No, it's not that… Usually they don't bother me, but lately…"

Ruby leaned forward and turned to the blonde. She gave her a contemplative look, "Lately…?"

"Do you believe in other worlds?"

"What?"

"Like… I don't know… In my dreams everyone is like a different person, but they're the same. It's like they're in a different world or something…"

Ruby stared at her a looked around, "What do you mean they're different?"

"Like they're the same person kind of, but they're not. They're actually fairytale characters, I think."

Ruby laughed, "Oh my God! That is hilarious!" She turned to see her friend a little offended, "I mean, it's just… can you honestly believe that _I_ am a fairytale character though? Or Graham? He's a man whore and I'm the girl that tamed him and was also a bit of a tramp… and we've all committed very, very bad crimes… that's no fairytale, my friend…"

Emma leaned back against the bleachers, "I guess so…" She stood up, "Hey, I'm going to go to back inside."

Ruby smiled, "Gonna go make out with the Matron?"

"Ruby…" She scolded, but gave her friend a dirty look.

She didn't actually wind up back in the office. Instead her feet carried her to her little corner in the library.

~0~0~0~0~0~

She didn't know how long she had been there, but it must have been a while. She heard the small whimper of a five-day-old baby and she looked up to find him and his adoptive mother walking her way. She folded the book closed and set it aside, title facing from the matron.

"It's time for his feeding." The brunette woman slid down the bookcase and gave the blonde the baby, "I figured since I have to use the bottles at night, that you would want to do it in the day."

Emma smiled and nodded. Regina dug into the diaper bag she'd brought with her for a blanket to put over Emma's chest while she fed. If anyone were to come and see any part of the blonde, Regina would kill them dead then and there. And Emma knew that (and found it a little endearing despite all her recent conspiracy theories on the woman), and so she accepted the blanket even though no one had come close or walked into the library since she'd been there. Emma felt brown orbs staring at her as Henry attached and began to suckle. She turned and smiled shyly before she leaned in and waited for a kiss.

Regina quickly interpreted and accepted. She looked to the brown book that she'd caught Emma with for the second time, "Anything interesting?" She decided on the same question as before.

Emma only shook her head while concentrating on the baby.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina didn't know why she was so curious about her girlfriend's reading habits. She supposed that she just wanted to be able to talk to her and if she was going to spend so much time reading, then she should as well. That, and she could tell that Emma was lying when she said it wasn't interesting.

After Emma was brought to her cell—something Emma was woefully, regretfully adamant about until her sentence was filled—Regina took Henry back to her office. She put him in his carrier and grabbed her things to leave. She rooted through her keys for the master key of the prison and went to the library.

She stared at the book that was left on the floor in the corner and debated a while with whether she was actually going to take it. When she heard the baby sigh in his sleep, she decided that she would indeed take it with her.

The brunette settled in front of the fireplace with the warmth of the flames and the calmness of the baby lying on her chest. The book was in her lap and she traced over the gold letters unknowingly but exactly like her girlfriend did.

She sighed and opened it, "Let's see what Mommy was looking at, hmm?" When she received a gurgle and a sigh in return she nodded and kissed his bare head as she started in. "Oh my gods…" A chill ran down her spine. She had no idea this book existed.

She read through everything. The entire book was filled with everyone's story—all the real players at least. And it was completely accurate. When she read through her parts, the baby seemed to snuggle closer to her. Most of the time he was sleeping, but it was as if he knew and understood what she was reading. It was as if he was trying to hold her and love her. It was as if he knew everything, or that everything that was in the book happened and that they were cursed here and that he just didn't care.

She of course logically knew that a baby could not do or know any of this, but it felt as though he was. And that gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling that no one but Emma had ever been able to give her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Original prompt: Anonymous asked you: Instead of a sleepy town Regina sent everyone to Storybrooke Men's and Women's correctional facility where she is the warden. But what happens when a 17 year old heavily pregnant Emma Swan is incarcerated. AU: Everyone is either a prisoner or a prison guard.**

**paigeyfreeman asked you: Kinda want you to finish the matron mills fanfic :')**

**AN: I think a few others do to, paigeyfreeman… I had promised you guys that I would have this done before my break was over, well, that was when I thought I had less prompts in my ask than I did. So, instead of making you wait three more times—especially since my original goal was to finish this a week and a half ago, and since I conveniently don't have any other prompts for this piece in my ask, I decided that I was going to give it all to you now in hopes that you will forgive me of the delay!**

It was 5:30 AM and Emma had woken up fifteen times. She knew before bed that she wasn't going to sleep soundly, but dear God, that many times, she might as well have stayed up the whole night. She sighed as she sat up in her bunk and leaned against the wall. She couldn't get the idea of Regina in that evil queen costume out of her head. And it wasn't because she would look drop dead sexy in it—well it wasn't _just _because of that.

No, it was because it was the same costume she'd seen in her dream before she found the book, and that freaked her the hell out. It was because she could actually see Mary Margaret and David being Snow White and Prince Charming, she could actually see Ruby being Red, she could see Belle and Gold be Beauty and Beast. She could see all of these things easily, she could believe them easily, and that was crazy.

She heard the door open and a shuffle of feet come through the walkway. She looked up to see Regina holding Henry just as she had the night before. She stood up and after Regina opened her cell, she reached out for the baby and held him close.

"I missed you little man baby." She whispered before kissing his head and nuzzling his peach fuzz hair, smelling his baby scent.

"He missed you too." Regina tried to assure the flustered looking blonde.

Emma stared at her girlfriend. She wanted to open her mouth and tell her that she knew everything. She wanted to forget about the book. She wanted her mind not to run rampant. She wanted Regina not to be evil, but with each passing moment, she felt as though she was looking into despair, like she was looking into a repenting evil being. Finally, the blonde leaned in and kissed her cheek as if willing the brunette to be good, "I missed you too."

Regina smiled as she led the blonde from her cell and down the hall, "And I've missed you."

As they came to the 'T' in the hallway, Emma stopped abruptly. She knew Regina was going to lead her to the left and they were going to go to her office, but she _had_ to get to that book and read it again. She turned to the right, "I have to do something…"

Regina took a step after her, but decided not to reach for her. She could see the blonde was on edge, "I have it in my office…" he words were soft.

Emma turned to her a few steps away and stared at her with a surprised, raised browed, 'Oh!?' face. Regina only tilted her head back toward her office and gestured for the blonde to come with her.

After having a traditional five-star breakfast, Emma sat down on the couch with the book on her knees and the baby to her chest. She mouthed every word she read, needing to be positive that she was taking it all in. During the parts that the Evil Queen appeared, she felt her little man baby grab at her just like he did the night before with Regina, though she didn't know he did that. Of course, these were also the parts she was whispering aloud, but she knew that his grabbing was for good reason.

As she flipped back to the page that had the picture of the evil queen staring at Charming's sword as it came for her, Emma didn't know what to think anymore.

"There something the matter, Emma?" Regina asked as she stood, taking her glasses off then walking to the couch. The blonde shook her head, and Regina sat down and watched her, "Is there something interesting?"

Again, Emma shook her head, "No… I'm just trying to memorize these fairytales for when Henry can understand them…"

"Is that all that's in there? You have a look of deep contemplation…" Regina tried to get the girl's feelings on the book.

"Yeah, that's all." Emma was avoiding eye contact.

Regina had to struggle to look into hazel green that was normally so easy to see. After she had Emma's eyes, she leaned forward and placed a hand on the inmate's orange knee asked, "Are you lying."

Emma tilted her head to the side as she nodded sadly, "…Yes."

Regina looked down at the coveralls she was running her thumb over, "Are you going to tell me the truth?" she dared looking back up.

The blonde swallowed hard and shook her head, "Not now, not tomorrow, probably not the near future. But eventually," She began nodding, "Eventually I will." She looked down to the baby in her arms and kissed his baldness.

Regina scooted forward and leaned in again to trace Henry's cherubic cheek. She smiled at the boy before looking back up to the blonde. A sudden lump formed in her throat, but she spoke anyways, "There is a lot we don't know about each other and a lot we do. With everything you ever learn about me please remember that I have my reasons for my actions and that I…" She paused, catching herself from saying the three words she'd felt since she saw Emma come to her prison, "I will do everything in my vast power to never hurt you."

Emma couldn't help the smile on her face as she leaned in and kissed her.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"I can't believe they're letting you go…" Ruby pouted.

A few months had gone by and Emma had just got word from her girlfriend that she was being released thanks to good behavior.

"You can't? Really?" Mary Margaret asked with narrowed eyes to the brunette.

Kathryn jumped in, "You can't believe that Emma, the girl that spends all her time with the Matron is getting released for a minor felony at the minimal sentence length?"

Ruby looked to her friends, "Shut up."

"Relax…" Emma smiled, "I'll still be here everyday, I just won't be in this tacky, gaudy orange thing." She popped the collar of her jumpsuit causing her group of friends to laugh.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma's heart had been pounding in the front seat the whole way home. She looked at the quaint looking cottage as they drove up the gravel drive in Regina's yellow bug—a surprising venture, Regina assured her, but the car spoke to her and she had to have it.

The blonde looked at the large vegetable garden to the side of the house and the flowers and shrubs and greenery that seemed to surround it. She looked at the wooden posts that held the front porch up with hanging plants and ivy surrounding almost all the wood as well. And she saw the front porch swing for two, which only made her smile, "This is so quaint…" As she thought about it, it seemed exactly what _her_ Regina would live in, not what the evil queen would want. "Is there running water, or am I going to have to shower in a creek?"

Regina gave her a playful glare, "I assure you the inside is everything the outside is not. I have an amazing kitchen and a better bathroom than at the prison."

"But that's the best bathroom in the world!" Emma's face was serious, "It's better?"

"The full bath in our—my—your room is, yes. The full bath next to Henry's room that is also the guest bathroom is not as amazing, but it is up to par."

Emma unbuckled and got out of the car. She turned away as she grinned at the woman's stumble. Emma marveled at Regina's kitchen and her bathroom. And the bedroom. The bed looked glorious. They eventually laid Henry down and the blonde felt just how tired she was as well.

"Well, I think I'm going to take a bath then go to bed…" She clicked off the television and looked over to her girlfriend who nodded from her place on the couch. "You said the room was mine…"

"It is." Regina looked up to find Emma shaking her head, "It isn't?"

"You said that I was going to sleep with you when I got out of there. You said that you had a two bedroom cottage, one could be turned into a nursery, the other I could sleep in with you…"

"I-I-I just assumed that you'd want the bed for yourself…"

"I don't. I'm no prissy princess, I can share a bed with a lover before I marry them." She waggled her eyebrows and caught the small freeze in Regina's movements as she said the word 'princess'. She tried not to seem fazed by Regina's reaction and reached her hand out, "Even if I was a prissy princess, I'd share my bed with you so hard, my king and queen parents wouldn't know what to do."

Regina stared at her as she took in the blonde's words. She took her hand and stood, "Even if I were, say, a villain? You'd still share your bed with me?"

"Even if you were the Evil Queen, I'd share my bed with you." Emma smiled and pulled the brunette with her to the bedroom.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma hadn't lied to her friends the day before. She was there everyday. And now that Henry could hold his head up, Emma decided it was time for him to be able to meet her friends.

"Are you sure about this?" Regina asked as she took Henry from the blonde and sat him on the desk as she sat in her chair, scooted in and pressed her forehead against his, "Say, 'No, Momma! I don't want to go down there!'"

Emma grinned as she scolded, "Regina." She shook her head and leaned over the brunette, "If you're trying to keep me in here because you want me to try to…further my advances on you from last night, forget it. I couldn't go any further with a baby in the room." She plucked Henry from the desktop and gave her girlfriend a wicked grin.

"Will you make further advances tonight?" Regina asked with a quick raise and lower of her brows.

Emma only smirked before heading for the door, "I'm walking away, and I'm taking Henry to meet everyone. I promised I would after he could hold his head up."

"Alright, darling, go on."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma had come back that afternoon with a long tale of how excited all the inmates were and how excited Henry was and how much fun they'd all had. Regina, of course felt a little jealous. Emma knew this and she planned to further her advances a little early.

"How long do you _actually_ have to be here?" When all the blonde got was a raised, brown brow, she walked over and sat on the desk—pulling a Fran Fine at her finest—as she looked into those brown eyes, "I was thinking we could go home, have an early dinner, put Henry to bed and make out… maybe not keep all our clothes on this time…"

That got the brunette in gear. She quickly gathered everything except the sleeping baby in his car seat hooked up to the rocking swing, which she left to the blonde, "Let's go."

~0~0~0~0~0~

They had had a glorious make out session without all their clothes and they fell asleep in each other's arms, where both women were convinced they both should be.

Then Emma had the dream.

It was always the same dream, the dream of evil Regina asking about 'the child', but this dream was from someone's perspective. She supposed it was her own. She realized it was from the baby's right off the bat as she opened her dream eyes to see Snow and Charming telling her they loved her.

She watched David fight with her and put her in the tree. Then there was nothing but darkness. She heard the words 'This is my happy ending' and the next thing she knew she was getting picked up by a ginger kid that took her to the bar on the side of the road she was found on.

She woke up hard, gasping for air. She'd certainly startled Regina awake. The brunette looked at her with such adoration and concern.

Regina had tried to sooth her, and Emma knew that this probably wasn't the greatest idea, but she couldn't help it. She'd asked the one question that would make one or the other or both uncomfortable: "Do you believe in other worlds?"


	7. Chapter 7

'Do you believe in other worlds?'

The words immediately plagued Regina. She stopped breathing, she was so caught up in the question. She tried to play it off, "Do I believe in other worlds… Like the wonderful world of Disney?"

Emma rolled her eyes and yanked on Regina's hands that were trying to escape her body and more likely the bed. She held onto the woman's hands with a need only the woman would understand, "No… Like do you believe in other worlds like with The Butterfly Effect or The Nines or… something…"

Regina knit her brows and snuggled closer, "I'm not sure what you mean."

The blonde turned her head to look at her girlfriend, "Like, okay… Do you think it's possible that there are whole other worlds and people out there that are just like us but different? Or like do you think there are worlds out there of ourselves making the choices we'd wished we made? Or like do you think there are worlds that are left behind and we have no idea?"

Regina tensed at the last one, she swallowed and looked at her, "Do I believe in alternate realities?"

"Yeah…"

Regina shrugged, "I never say never; there's no telling what's out there." She pulled away successfully this time and looked at the wall, "Besides, I'd like to believe that somewhere I am the person I wanted to be, that I deserve happiness and love."

"You do deserve happiness and love… that's why I'm trying to make you happy and I'm fall—" Emma covered her mouth before she could word vomit all over the place.

Regina didn't say anything about the slip, instead she changed the subject, "Did you have that dream again?"

Emma nodded.

Regina settled back down behind the blonde, "Don't you fret. I'm trying for you, remember? I'm not evil; I'm not going to be evil, not as long as I have you." She hugged the younger woman tighter.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma and Ruby were sitting in Ruby's cell one afternoon. Ruby had been in a fight with Graham and she needed to cool her jets.

"So, what are you really asking me? If I believe in alternate realities or if I believe that I could be a fairytale character in one of them? Or, at the very least, M&M and David could be?"

Emma had given snippets of her dream to Ruby; she'd never said that she thought Regina was evil and she never said just what her dream was about, just that she knew that Regina was in it and she looked sad and angry and that Mary Margaret and David were in it and she picked up that they were Snow and Charming.

The blonde sighed, "All of the above, I guess."

Ruby stood and put up an index finger, "One minute." She walked out of her cell. She came back with Mary Margaret and Kathryn. She turned and knit her brows, "Where the hell'd Belle go?"

"You think that I'm Snow White?" Mary Margaret asked before anyone could comment on the missing girl.

"I—"

"You think that I'm Snow White and I'm in prison?" She looked off to the side, "That's sure an interesting twist to the fairytale…" The pixie cut woman crossed her arms and looked to the blonde, "Why?"

"Okay, I don't _think_ you're Snow White." _I believe it_, She thought before continuing, "I've had the same dream for months now… and that's just what it is. I'm sure it's just because I know your face."

"Well how come it's not me? You know my face…" Ruby said.

Emma shrugged and before she could say anything more, Belle walked into the cell with knit brows, "Emma?"

"There you are!" Ruby slapped her best friend's arm.

"Hey, I found her…" Emma pointed to the auburn haired girl, garnering bored glares and giggles.

"Emma?" Belle asked with a smile on her face.

"Yes, Belle?"

"I was just talking to Gold, and he told me to tell you that everything you are thinking or believing is true… Whatever that means. He told me to tell you it's true and to not question how he knows it or what you're thinking and to just know it's true."

Emma knit her brows, "Why should I believe him?"

"Well, he kind of knows everything about everyone already, so I'd go with what he says." Ruby said, "Though, you didn't, you already questioned it…" A smile grew on her face and everyone else's.

After that conversation, Emma studied Regina. She began to study her like she was preparing for a final that would haunt her for the next 90 years. She really studied her. Every move, every breath, every look, every_thing_.

She decided it was time to tell her about the dream and the book.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma sat with her back to the fire that night as Regina laid back on the couch and bounced the baby, tossed the baby and made the baby laugh.

"That dream that I keep having? The one you keep assuring me you're not evil because of?"

Regina set Henry on her lap from holding him in the air and looked at her, "Yes?"

"It was in that book…"

"Well, you just have an overactive imagination—"

"I don't." Emma looked up at her, "If you recall, I started having the dreams before I found the book. And everything is the same. Everything from the night the evil queen cursed everyone to a place with no happy endings is the same right down to the word choice." She huffed, "If I had started having the dreams after the book, it wouldn't be so frightening. Jesus." She muttered the last word.

"So, are you accusing me of being the evil queen?" Regina's tone was careful.

"Are you denying that it is a possibility? I mean, you _hate_ Mary Margaret with a burning passion for no reason. Are you saying it's just a coincidence that I dreamed her to be Snow and then everything turn out to be pre-written?" The blonde was getting excited.

Regina stared at the blonde a moment, "Why would you, an outsider of all people be able to see all of this and put it together in a reoccurrence of the same dream?"

"Because I think that I'm the baby; I'm the 'Emma' that is supposed to save everyone. I came here on my eighteenth birthday…" She looked to her son and back to her girlfriend, "That's what Rumplestilskin predicted."

Regina swallowed a hard lump and moved off the couch with the boy in her arms and sat in front of Emma, "I don't know what you want from me…"

"I just want to know if you think it's a possibility… or if you think I need a straightjacket."

"I don't think you need a straightjacket." Regina didn't look at Emma for a long time. Instead, she looked at the top of the full head of brunette hair from the boy that sat in her lap. When she did look at the blonde, she knew what she was doing. She knew she was telling her all she needed to know… That Rumple was right, and she was the savior and she needed to save everyone.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma didn't know what else to do, so she kicked Regina out of the house so she could think. Regina was quite agreeable and sad about it. They packed the woman a duffle and Emma drove her to the prison.

"I just need time… I need to figure out what I'm supposed to do…" She shrugged.

Regina nodded as she looked at the night sky with watery eyes, "I know." She started to turn and Emma put the car in gear, but she remembered something, "Henry…"

Emma looked at her girlfriend with sorrow, "Regina, I… I would let you have him, I would, but he needs me right now…"

Regina nodded, "He's uh… She's been standing." She flattened her lip line as she tried to find the words and ignore the tears brimming her eyes, "I'd really like to see his first steps…"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma had been alone with her son for three weeks. She was laying on the ground of the living room letting the boy roam about, crawl where he wanted. Then she saw that he remembered the coffee table, and he remembered that he could stand.

"Henry?" She asked.

He looked at his mother with a twinkle in his eye, and Emma knew she needed to find something to take a picture or something. She ran around the living room frantically as Henry pulled himself up completely and leaned against the coffee table. She turned and saw him with his head laying on the table, that twinkle still in his eyes as if he were just waiting for her to settle down so he could show her how awesome he was.

The blonde finally found her cell phone that she'd left plugged in, in the kitchen and ran back to her spot, standing, and recording the whole time, "Henry, what are you doing, huh? Are you gonna try to walk? Are you gonna walk?"

Henry clapped his hands then pushed from the table. He thought he had his balance, but he was a little off and down to his butt he went. That did not stop the gallant hero as he pulled himself to the top of the coffee table once more. He turned to his mommy and stared at her with determination. Then, he stepped forward, one hand still against the table. Then, he took his hand and stepped again. Valiantly he made another step, and then another.

"Oh my god! Henry you're doing it! You're walking!" She bounced from foot to excited foot; this made the boy laugh but that did not make him forget about his mission. No, he made it all the way over to the big brown book and sat on top of it.

He looked up at his mommy again and clapped his hands. Emma tilted her head, "What's that, little man baby?" She asked, "Is that the book? Is that the book that is complete and utter nonfiction about fairytales?" Henry nodded and clapped his hands again. Emma decided then to stop recording.

She sighed as she sat down and pulled him from the book and opened it. "Do you think that all our problems can be solved with this?" She looked to her son. Henry nodded again and rolled from his mommy onto his back.

Emma reread everything. Henry's been down for two naps and his actual night slumber during this time, when it finally hit her. There was repeated phrasing throughout the entire thing and it wasn't the cover's words. One was 'true love is the most powerful magic of all' and the other, 'true love's kiss can break any curse.'

"Little man baby that's it!" She picked him up and brought him out to the car.

~0~0~0~0~0~

She'd heard from some of the inside guards that Regina was breaking up a fight between the Captain and Jefferson again. So, she marched out to the square and waited.

When the brunette turned after getting two guards to bring the men to their respectful cells, she saw two pairs of hazel green and nothing else. She walked over with tears glimmering her eyes and kissed the baby's head. He pushed from his blonde mother to his brunette mother.

Everyone else was watching the exchange as subtly as possible.

Emma pulled out her phone, "He walked." She said quietly and showed her the video.

Regina hugged Henry tighter, "Henry, look at you! I need to get you some running shoes you little racer!"

Emma tilted her head with a smile and stared lovingly at the brunette, "I didn't keep you from him because I had some agenda… I just…"

"Needed to figure things out. I know. So, I assume you've figured things out?"

"The only thing in that book that tells me how to undo what you did, that tells me how to 'save' everyone, is through true love's kiss. Now, I know I love you. I love you despite… everything." She looked away and back to her, not caring that they were in front of the entirety of the jailhouse, "Kiss me and prove to me that you are willing to take the punishment you deserve for the stuff you did. I know you love me too. I know you do. So kiss me and take the punishment."

Regina leaned in without hesitation. In the back of her mind she heard Maleficent and her mother screaming in agony, but she didn't care. Love was strength. That's what she'd grown to learn ever since the blonde showed up at her prison.

The kiss was simple and amazing. And the sonic boom came about them and the sky cracked open. Everything was changing.

They clung to each other and when the rumbles and thrashing, crashing, and bashing ended they looked up to find themselves surrounded by all the fairytale characters changing. They were glowy and floating in the air as they were put back into the clothes and minds they were taken from.

The people weren't the only ones floating, Regina, Emma and Henry were even floating too—that's how good the kiss was.

Emma took a moment to look down at the baby in Regina's arms and see his wide eyes taking in everything. Then she looked at Regina. The thing that was odd was Regina didn't morph to the evil queen. She was put in the outfit that she cast the curse in, but her hair and her demeanor did not change. Emma couldn't help running her fingers through the brunette's hair once, subtly trying to let the brunette know that she didn't change. Not really. Regina felt her short hair to find that it was still a short, not long. The blonde touched Regina's face as Regina wrapped a spare arm around her tight and hugged Henry close as well.

"Emma." The voice came from Snow White, who was very glowy along with her husband and everyone else—they literally had a demigod like glow around them.

Emma turned and looked. She saw her… mom and dad…? And this was when the royal guards began to close in on them… on Regina, but Snow's hand stopped them all with a wave.

She walked down and looked at the brunette. She looked to the blonde, "Is this some kind of joke? In order to break the curse, our daughter had to fall in love with you?"

Regina tilted her head, "Well Snow, I didn't read the fine print of the curse, I just read the part about the only happy ending being mine."

"I was happy here. I was an inmate, but I was happy…"

Regina didn't say anything to this, instead she looked at the boy in her arms and smiled at him.

"You're not truly evil. You're evil enough to enact the curse, but you never bothered keeping Charming from me, or Belle from Rumple, or Thomas from Ella… You even let love find another pair…" She glanced to Red and Graham. "You're not truly evil."

~0~0~0~0~0~

After many long discussions, Regina's punishment was nothing too damning. She and Emma were sentenced to a cottage identical to the one in Storybrooke in the middle of the woods—the woods on the castles grounds. They were made to frequently visit and share meals as Henry grew up to be the best spoiled Prince around. They were made to attend balls and galas and Henry grew to take after his Grandfather: Charming and blunt.

As they walked their son down the isle for his coronation to be king, the looked to one another. They both had the same loving, adoring look on their faces that they had when Regina was just a Matron of a small prison and Emma was her pregnant inmate.


End file.
